The present invention relates to fiber optics used for signal transfer. More particularly, the present invention is based on multi-directional fiber optic connections for devices with fiber optic inputs and/or outputs.
Fiber optic cables are useful for signal transfer. Light pulses representing data travel through the cables over very long distances and with great immunity to noise and other interference. However, fiber optic cables are more fragile than cables having electrical conductors. The fibers in the cable can be broken if the cable is bent beyond a certain amount. Once fibers are broken, signal transmission that is dependent upon those fibers terminates. Also, signal transfer in optical fibers is more susceptible to attenuation caused by bends in the fiber than is signal transfer through wires.
Typically, broken fibers and attenuation are not a problem in the median regions of the fiber optic cables. However, fiber at the ends of the cables can be troublesome because the cable must often bend where the connector attaches to a device. This is especially true when in confined spaces, such as when the device is mounted in a wall and the fiber connections to the device are made within the wall.
Ordinarily in walls, the fiber optic cable is routed parallel to the plane of the wall and within a gap separating panes of the wall. The fiber connections on the device are oriented perpendicular to the plane of the wall. Therefore, the cable must bend to account for the right angle between the direction of the fiber connector and the direction the cable is routed. If this bend forms a radius less than the minimum bend radius for the cable, a fiber break can result or the signal may become too attenuated for proper communication. For relatively narrowly gapped walls, a fiber break or attenuation is more likely to occur because the cable must form a bend with a relatively smaller radius.
The present invention addresses these and other problems by providing multi-directional fiber connections. The fiber connections on the device are movable in relation to the housing so that the fiber optic cables can interface with the fiber connections on the device while forming a greater bend radius than would result had fixed fiber connections been used. The greater bend radius reduces the likelihood of broken fibers or signal attenuation.
The present invention is embodied in a device for coupling a first signal line to a fiber optic cable. The device includes a main housing and also includes at least one connector receptacle that is movably supported by the main housing. The connector receptacle is for interfacing with the fiber optic cable.
The present invention is also embodied in a method for providing a device that couples a first signal line to a fiber optic cable. The method involves providing a main housing having a connector receptacle mount and providing a connector receptacle that is configured to movably attach to the connector receptacle mount and receive the fiber optic cable. The method also involves movably affixing the connector receptacle to the main housing by attaching the connector receptacle to the connector receptacle mount.
Another device embodying the present invention includes a main housing. The device also includes means for movably supporting a connector receptacle within the main housing. The connector receptacle interfaces with a fiber optic cable and transfers the signal being carried by the fiber optic cable.